A worker was killed in a chemical explosion in Derrimut, Melbourne. Image credit: Nachoman-au, Wikimedia Commons
A man was killed and others injured in a chemical explosion at a factory in western Melbourne on Thursday morning.
Emergency services were called to attend a chemical plant on Swann Drive in Derrimut.
At least 30 people were evacuated from the building after the explosion caused a factory fire.
The fire was contained to the back of the property by the factory’s sprinkler system, according to Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV).
It is believed that it took over 2 hours for a team of 80 firefighters to extinguish the blaze.
Assistant chief fire officer, Dominic Scarfe, confirmed that the process of blending chemicals resulted in the explosion and subsequent fire.
The exact chemicals involved are yet to be confirmed.
“A lot of crews were on scene initially to help extinguish the fire and were heavily involved in a search for a missing staff member,” said Scarfe.
“It was pretty serious, and there were some other containers of chemicals on site, so if the fire had spread to those, we would have had a significant event.”
Victoria Police confirmed that a 44-year-old man from Hoppers Crossing was found dead inside the factory.
Multiple people were treated for injuries, while paramedics monitored the others.
“It’s obviously a very, very sad occasion,” said Acting Inspector Matthew Flood.
“Other people could have been [seriously] injured as well, we were just lucky that didn’t occur.”
Several factories downwind were closed due to the potential risk from the chemical fire smoke.
A community warning for nearby suburbs was also issued, but it is believed that the risk was reduced shortly after.
“Our challenge now is we’ve managed to contain all the water that was used to extinguish the fire on site and we’ve got contractors coming in to remove that,” said Scarfe.
“We don’t want that water getting into the stormwater and local creeks.”
The Environmental Protection Authority said it did not believe that any firewater had escaped the site, but they would continue to monitor the waterways as a precaution.
WorkSafe Victoria has launched an investigation.
The incident comes just 3 days after an explosion at a chemical warehouse in Perth.
